Researchers from the UGR work on a project that assesses the neurodevelopment of children in Cuba
A group of researchers from the University of Granada are working on the project "Evaluation of Neurodevelopment in Cuban children from 6 to 18 years old by means of the Infant Computerized Neuropsychological Evaluation Battery (BENCI)". María Nieves Pérez Marfil and Francisco Cruz Quintana, researchers at the CIMCYC, participate in this project.
This project, financed by the Andalusian Agency for International Development Cooperation (AACID), has been presented to the Spanish Ambassador in Cuba, Ángel Martín Pecci, and to the Cuban Minister of Higher Education, José Ramón Saborido Loidi.
The researchers will study the neurodevelopment of boys and girls in Cuba and the impact of psychosocial variables. As a result of the evaluation of cognitive abilities, it will be possible to identify which domains, such as memory, attention or reasoning, are most affected, in order to implement stimulation programs in a second phase.
This study is intended to serve as a reference in the field of child neuropsychological evaluation. The results will provide evidence and facilitate the use of a useful and free tool for a significant number of health and education professionals.
This work will be developed over the next two years in schools in the eastern, central and western areas of the Greater Antilles. 5,850 children from 6 to 18 years old and their families will be selected, following a stratified sample in which three areas of Cuba will participate (Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos)
A physical evaluation (anthropometry), an evaluation of academic performance, a psychopathological evaluation and a neuropsychological evaluation will be carried out with the BENCI tool.
Researchers contact
-María Nieves Pérez Marfil: nperez@ugr.es
- Francisco Cruz Quintana: fcruz@ugr.es